Phil Jackson claims the differences in opinion he sometimes had with Kobe Bryant during his first Los Angeles coaching stint at times burned so intently he could "physically feel" his star player's hatred of him.

"Ah, my good friend Kobe Bryant," Jackson told ESPN. "Yes, quite often I could feel his hatred. I'm sure Kobe was pissed when I wrote in "The Last Season" that he was uncoachable. And, yes, we were often at loggerheads. He wanted more freedom and I wanted him to be more disciplined."

Jackson largely attributed much of the friction to the give and take star players and coaches can experience trying to strike the right balance. In the end, the alliance between him and Bryant worked to the tune of three straight titles for the Lakers during that era.

By the time he returned for a second run with the franchise, Jackson added that he and Bryant had largely smoothed out all of their differences.

"I gave him more of a license to do his thing, as long as it stayed within the overall context of the triangle," Jackson said. "And we did win two more championships. Anyway, I've always seen Kobe as a truly great player, an intelligent guy and a remarkable person."

The rough time Jackson speaks of was the early 2000s, an era when a still 20-something Bryant was forced to share the limelight and the game ball with Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant and O'Neal were never the best of pals, but they still combined to lead the Lakers to their aforementioned three straight titles.

After O'Neal moved on, Bryant instantly found the ball in his hands more, and his relationship with Jackson started to improve by leaps and bounds.

In all, the 69-year-old Zen Master has won 11 NBA titles as a coach, his first six coming with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.